Lifes Hidden Truths
by Amori De'Viant
Summary: They thought he had been defeated, slain...they had failed to examine the body that had long since fllen into the stream, forgotten about it's existance...such an error, left him alive...
1. Remembering

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Squaresoft characters (as much as I want to) and therefore they are copyrighted to their respective owners, however, Amelia/Ami is a character of my own design and no doubt more will follow, please do not attempt to use any of my designed characters without my expressed permission .**

**Chapter One - Remembering**

_"Remember..."_ From the depths of his mind the unfamiliar voice whispered, for years he had remained...dead in a sense, for he had lain in the same place for well over two years, his heartbeat so slow it remained undetectable and his breaths...to those that dared venture down below the surface he seemed dead, for his chest dared not move in the confinements of the place in which he now slept,_ "Remember..."_ These words never left his mind, nor did the voice that spoke of them for in the months in which he had dwelled alone he had become accustomed to his now fallen mother, no longer did she whisper so who was this.  In ways, the voice did remind him of someone he had known a long time ago, or at least he should have known, yet whether it be through the beatings he had received by his rivals he couldn't seem to remember.  Regardless, the voice never left him, it was the only form of company he had and often gave him a sense of comfort, and a sense that he wasn't alone, but he was alone...wasn't he?

_"Remember..."_ Often, people had told him to 'remember' but they had never specified what he was supposed to remember, they told him to figure it out for himself, told him to discover his true self...he had done that once and in doing so had almost caused the fall of an entire planet, only then, when he had at last been 'defeated' had he realized his faults and had cursed himself to the fate in which he had promised himself to long ago.  Now he was trapped and with no method of escape he could only reflect on the past, the past in which he could recall at least...

_"Remember..."_ She never said anything different, was it the only thing she had ever said to him, from within the confinements that he lay in he scrunched his eyes tight, almost forcing himself to 'remember' for he had never enjoyed being troubled by thoughts he couldn't understand, theories that made no sense, a past full of lies and manipulation.  In the depths of his mind he had often screamed out to the voices that hissed bitterly to him, cursed him to eternal damnation and even those that attempted to spark some type of catalyst that would do what exactly...should he remember what he was supposed to...what would happen?

It was in this, that the eyelids of the man began to open, slowly, stiffly as though they hadn't opened in quite some time.  Soon, translucent, ghostly and almost glowing eyes stared out into the murky, shimmering stream in which he lay, it was murky in the sense, that a substance within it caused it to often look opaque in places while translucent in others and completely transparent in rare cases.  The life stream...his home, the place in which he had been banished to upon his defeat, or rather his surrender.  Within this stream he had the ability to listen to those calling to him, listen to their curses and sometimes even comforting whispers, on rare occasions the liquid before him would often begin to shimmer, manipulate itself into shapes that he couldn't quite recognize, it was when he had been awake that he had often questioned as to whether the stream reacted to his thoughts, the thoughts that lingered at the back of his mind in an attempt to offer some form of aid in recognizing what he was supposed to recognize.

_"Remember..."_ Again it came, however, as it did, the liquid before him began to pulse, sending miniature shockwaves out from the epicentre in which it had emanated.  The substance within the water that gave it, its opaque look began to gather and form the outline of a figure, a person.  At once his eyes narrowed at the petite and wavering figure before him, "remember..." The shape's apparent lips moved and to mere slits did his eyes go, the figure, he had seen it before, but from where was a complete mystery.  Obviously, it was female, mittened hands clasped together against a coat that came down to the knees and what looked like a winged bag upon the back...a winged back, colours seemingly began to place themselves upon the figure as though it was the outline of an artists work, tiny feet soon became booted and the petite figure gained colour...auburn, shoulder length hair, wavering slightly as it hung around the bowed head...yet the face still remained clouded.

"Remember..." his lips mouthed uncomfortably against the liquid's grasp, "Remember..." he repeated and shook his head, memories…soon they overwhelmed him and his eyes widened in uncontrolled shock, very slowly the head of the figure raised and pursed lips became visible, they soon smiled as the figure tilted her head to one side and at last the hair drifted from the unknown face, almost dark red eyes glittering playfully back at him, they weren't red in that sense...for they were a shade of brown that resembled it, regardless, an unregistered smile appeared on usually straightened lips as at last, the figure stood before him, but the name...what was her name...?

_"Remember!"_ Again the lips moved as the figure began to finalise itself in appearance, a small, beige headband pushing back the hair from her face until she stood before him in the stream...

"Remember..." he mouthed once more in a repetitive fashion towards him, she seemingly began to nod, yet he still failed to understand.  He could only shake his head but once again, almost stubbornly she nodded her own and he frowned.  Such determination, he had often killed people for arguing even silently with him and now...the girl was doing it openly?! A twinge of remembrance attacked his mind and he gasped silently, or at least his mouth became agape...only one he had allowed to tease and argue with him in such a way...

_"Remember,"_ Again she spoke and his eyes returned to their narrowed form, who was she? Within him, he felt a sudden sense of peace and couldn't quite place the reason why he felt a sudden closeness to the petite girl, for in his time alive he had never allowed one to get too close had he...? Unless...

"Amelia!" he whispered, causing bubbles to form opposite him and float upwards, the figure developed a proud smile and promptly vanished, "Ami..." he murmured softly.  The pull of the stream seemed to triple as the memories flooded back to him…it didn't wish for him to leave, to attempt to solve the puzzle that had now unfolded before him, Ami...that name...that girl...

*****

The sniffling echoed through the silent corridors, for the most part, at this current time of the day such corridors were deserted and only the janitor and student locker's lingered within it, however, today was seemingly different.  Lunchtime...when most would be socializing and part taking in the daily ritual of consuming food products, there was someone still lingering within the corridors, well someone other than himself of course.

Black, worn in leather shoes walked forwards, footsteps muffled for the most part thanks to the 'squeak' of the new leather being well worn out of them.  Unfortunately, much to his distaste, such shoes were accompanied by the traditional uniform, black trousers that rarely fitted correctly, the typical white shirt, the tie with the inappropriate crest upon the centre and the heavy blazer, or rather jacket.  He hated such restrictions, but according to his elders he had to at least obey such rules for the most part.

Nevertheless, he continued onwards until he drew nearer to the sniffling, a light frown coming across the delicate features of the young, teenage boy's features as he observed the apparent mount of black clothes in the gap between the lockers, no doubt it was well hidden and evidently the figure had known of the place for quite some time, but it was never wise to allow yourself to be detected by such...obvious sounds, he had learnt that the hard way.

"Should you not be at lunch?" a clear voice flowed from the lips of the boy, youthful, wise and yet almost soothing had it to be applied in the correct way.  At once, upon hearing the voice the heap of clothes tensed and the sniffling for the most part...seemed to at least pause.

"S'pose..." replied the muffled voice, distorted by the snuffling as the figure blew its nose.  It was with this that the figure rose to its feet, only then did the boy realise exactly how tiny she was, nearly a foot smaller than him, with round eyes and that trembling mouth that always symbolised that a girl was about to break down into tears once more.

"So, why are you not at lunch?" he continued.  Having recently been appointed as a Head of Year he had taken his new authority seriously, failing to go to the appropriate rooms was in his eyes, a serious offence.

"I...wasn't hungry," the girl replied in a low voice, having averted her eyes almost immediately from his face, good, well at least she knew where her place was going to be in society, or at least in this school...wait a moment...Lips paused as the boy took in her physique, what should have been an unblemished cheek was vastly developing a bruise.

"You were not hungry," he repeated in a mildly amused voice, did she honestly think she could trick him into believing that excuse? 

"Yes..." she replied softly and forced her lips to stop trembling, her shoulders hunched as she fished around in her pockets for her handkerchief once more.

"And I suppose you are not hungry because the sandwich put you offer your meal after it punched your cheek then?" he enquired, quirking a brow at the reaction he received.  Never in his life had he understood the reason for such a reaction, for he himself had never experienced it.  Immediately, colour rushed to the girl's cheeks and she quickly stared at her shoes, in the words of many of the students the word 'busted' came to mind, that seemed to be the word they used when one of them had been found out.

"Actually it was the tuna but that's besides the point..." she retaliated, his brow rose higher as she fought against the colour rising in her cheeks, the petite girls features developing a light frown, almost as though she had been insulting.

"And...did this tuna just happen to be in your sandwich?" he pursed her lips, though the corners of his lips were twitching, he had not yet mastered how to retain a completely straight face, especially when he was trying to hide the fact that he was aware of her almost playful excuses.

"Actually...a knuckle was..." she replied quietly. At last a confession, patiently, he folded his arms across his chest and awaited a further explanation, however he only got a sentence that he found to be the least appropriate thing he had ever heard, "You see, you guys up on the plate all think that people who live down below you in the slums are all idiots, that we're inferior and have therefore, no right to even be up here..." she pointed out almost knowingly, "It's not our place to even step into the same school as someone from on the plate," she finished in a softly voice, so soft that even with his own superior hearing he had to strain to hear her.  Was this what they had meant when they had spoken of their 'visits' to the slums, had they deliberately caused fights and harm to those that lurked below?

"Your name?" he enquired at last and she shrugged.

"Amelia De'Viant," she replied and tilted her head to one side, "You?"

"Well I would have expected you to know as I am --"

"I'm new actually...I wouldn't actually know," he froze mid-sentence and tried to registered what had just occurred, had she just interrupted him?! Not even someone who was new had a right to do that!

"My name...is Sephiroth and you would do well to remember that you have absolutely no right to interrupt me when I am speaking to you!"

"Would you like me to add a 'Sir' to that as well?" she snapped in retaliation, it was then that the eyes met, each determined to outstare the other until each realized that neither was going to back down, despite being so frail in her physique her mentality was almost impressive, and Sephiroth rarely thought that about anyone...


	2. First Impressions

**Disclaimer: I do not and never will own any of the Squaresoft Characters, they are copyright to their respective owners.  However, Amelia and any other character to appear in this story are of my own creation and therefore should not be used (like the ever will be…) without my expressed permission.**

**Chapter Two – First Impressions**

For a while the pair continued to observe one another, lips pursed as each attempted to understand exactly what was going through one another's mind.  For the most part, no results could be found and idly, each could only glare, however, Amelia became aware of the penetrating stare Sephiroth held and soon dropped her gaze, defeated in a sense, but she had never been one for confrontation in all honest truth.  Once again silence fell and Amelia found new interest within her shoes, obviously new like the rest of her uniform and unbroken for with every movement...they squeaked, in fact such a thing probably didn't help her much in regards to fitting in, it was easy to pick out the 'newbies' simply by their uniforms.

"If you live within the slums then how did you even manage to get into a school like this?" Sephiroth at last spoke, allowing his tone to house a small note of curiosity that he should have technically hidden, for what he had said was not welcomed particularly well.

"Excuse me?" Amelia repeated, her voice threatening to break out of absolute astonishment, was he merely classifying her according to where she was brought up and lived for that matter?

"Well, as you said yourself the people within the slums are considered to be inferior to those who live upon the plate," he pointed out, his expression guarded as he attempted to explain himself, true, he had never really been uncomfortable through a confrontation but somehow, things almost seemed a little different at present, "If they are so inferior to those on the plate then how on earth can you explain your place within this school?" he enquired and she blinked.  A realisation came over her features and she pursed her lips momentarily, so he hadn't meant what she had though he meant.

"My grades were seen by the school...this school, apparently, one of my teachers recommended me because they thought I could do better than what they were able to give me in my old school," she seemed to shrugged carelessly and sighed as she began to brush off the dust from her skirt and attempted to knock the creases off her skirt as the material had an uncanny ability to kink easily if sat in one place for too long.

"So, what you are trying to say is that you were simply transferred because you have capabilities that even this school can see?" he pointed out slowly, at first she didn't quite understand whether he was trying to grasp the current situation and understand it or whether he thought he understood it but needed confirmation, evidently the second was more likely and she nodded briefly.

"Something like that..." she replied at last and clasped her hands together self consciously.  Another uncomfortable silence followed and each found themselves either staring at a wall or at their feet however, Sephiroth had never looked down in submission in his life and the lockers had become increasingly interesting throughout this current conversation.  It seemed that neither could quite grasp who the other thought about certain subjects and so, neither would step out of line...well not yet anyway.

"So..." Amelia spoke again and found no more words.  The two, seemed to be unable to communicate, odd considering the fact that within their own circles of friends or in Sephiroth's case 'Acquaintances' they could say whatever they liked, though the only way of explaining this was to simply point out the differences in their upbringings, after all, one was wealthy while the other wasn't quite so well off, their traditions and opinions were different yet here they were, at least attempting to make a conversation.

"Are you still afraid of your sandwich?" he piped up at last, allowing a rare smile to linger upon his lips briefly.  The once mature face transformed into that of a playful boy and Amelia gasped, he seemed almost normal! At that point he resembled the boys she was familiar with within the slums, playful, hopeful, humorous...His eyes glittered for a few moments and at that moment she began to warm to him, if he could at least smile in such a way then surely he could talk like someone she was more familiar with?

"Only when it's in the cafeteria..." Amelia confessed in a soft voice, pursing her lips and lowering her gaze again.  Sephiroth shuffled upon his spot for a moment, an odd action for one always so sure of himself but something was conflicting with him internally and within moments he let out a thoughtful sigh.

"I suppose...I could always break the rules..." he mused as he glanced down at the shy figure that had her head bowed and hands tightly clasped together in some form of self assurance.

"I thought head of years weren't meant to do that," she murmured and lifted a hand, it paused within the air and she became aware of the hair bristling upon the back of his neck, his muscles tensing as he observed her fingertips.  Slowly, she moved her hand through the gap between them and placed her fingertips to the gold circular badge that glittered against the black material that made up his blazer.  She allowed her hand to linger for a moment before moving it away again and Sephiroth seemingly fought back a sigh of relief, "Don't think I hadn't noticed," she finished and once again silence fell.

Such a silence seemed to be impossible to break however, at that moment her stomach decided to make a point of making her note that it was extremely hungry and in need of food, she blushed...a deep red and placed her hands to her cheeks.

"This way," Sephiroth murmured at last, the corners of his lips threatening to twitch again as he turned on his heel and walked down the corridor once more.  He could tell she was soon following him by the 'tap, tap, tap' of her heels against the tiled floor and slowed down to a slow walk, his strides almost impossible to match especially considering her size, "Where are your bags?" he enquired as an afterthought and she shrugged.

"I don't actually know," she commented in a soft voice as she folded her arms round herself protectively, "In the bin somewhere?" she offered meekly until he developed a small frown, "I didn't actually care about my bag when I was well..." she didn't finish but he nodded, she had said enough.  Regardless, something caught his eye and he quirked a brow.

"Does your bag happen to be yellow with white wings hanging out either side?" he murmured and she glanced up very suddenly, he took that as a yes and swiped it from atop one of the lockers, no one, would be seen dead in this school with a bag like that and since she was new he could pretty much assume it was hers.  She blushed and took it from his outstretched hands, examining first exterior then content before sighing almost mournfully, "Is something wrong?" he enquired and she shrugged.

"Not really..." she replied gently and zipped it shut, hugging it close to her chest and offering a small smile, "Thank you by the way," she added and tilted her head to one side, "But where's your bag?" she asked curiously until he glanced at her ever so slightly.

"Lounge..." he offered with a delicate shrug, shoulders rolling naturally in elongated ovals before relaxing once more within their places.  

"We have a lounge?!" Amelia enquired in absolute astonishment once more, in all her time here no one had mentioned a lounge, mind you...they hadn't mentioned the games room either and the only way she had discovered its existence was to actually stumble upon it...she shivered at the small memory and then pursed her lips.

"Indeed," he seemed surprised by her lack of knowledge regarding what the school had to offer, "However, very few people use it, the Games Room tends to be the most common place to 'hang out' I believe," he was the first to offer her an explanation and despite herself she couldn't help but feel that maybe he could be considered some sort of friend to her.

"Oh," it was the only sort of reply she could offer to his comments and bit her lower lip as they made their way up a set of steps, already she felt uneasy, she had sprinted down these steps a while ago...they led to the games room, however, he passed the games room and instead came to another door, curling his fingers around the handle and pushing the door open.  At once, Amelia could make out the various faces that were engrossed within work, books or even newspapers, but unlike the games room, there was almost complete silence.  In fact the only sounds were whispered debates over answers regarding school work or even politics...they weren't allowed to argue about politics in the slums...

"Welcome to the lounge," Sephiroth's voice murmured in her ear as he pushed her inwards and closed the door, a few glanced up and nodded in greeting before returning to their work...she wasn't being judged? A shy smile appeared upon her lips as she began to pad across the carpeted floor, taking in the surroundings that she now resided in, it was just so cosy...

Within the lounge, a very traditional feel could emanate from the walls and furniture, hard backed, mahogany chairs with cushioned fronts held old, carved workmanship.  The walls, lay home to many unusual works of art, scenery to portraits they all stared down at her and upon the centre wall rested a fire place, crackling in greeting towards her...it was so odd, the only thing she had ever really seen as a source of heat was the mako generated radiators...Regardless, she drew her hands along one of the seats and sat down experimentally.  The already seated Sephiroth bit his lower lip as the poor girl sank into the cushioned chair and let out a surprised squeak, nevertheless, she soon recovered and tugged herself into a more comfortable position, tugging her feet up onto the chair so that she was curled up against the back and the arm closest towards him.

"Eat this," he ordered, keeping his voice still low as he tossed her the sandwich, it didn't smell of fish...it was something else but either way she was hungry and soon began to eat, it was during this time that she could observe each of the people within the lounge, well aware that they were just as curious of her as they were to her.

"Thank you..." she whispered and tilted her head to one side as she took in his appearance, well, he was certainly tall, athletic with well defined muscles beneath the shirt, she didn't have to be a genius to work that out, long silver hair, seemed to glistened like dew upon a leaf against the firelight and on occasions even took on a reddish hue, such hair surrounded the delicate features of his face and as he rested his chin upon pianist fingers she focused on his eyes...those eyes that she had attempted for quite some time to understand.  In this lightly, within the slight shadows that he had retreated to, they had taken on a ghostly glow, they held a knowledge and yet a sense of loneliness within them and despite his formidable appearance she couldn't help but wonder if there was something much deeper lingering within this boy...after all, he had looked his age when he had smiled but now he had seemingly put up a face to hide his true personality...

"So, what were your first impressions of this school when you approached and entered it?" he enquired at last.

"First impressions?"

"First impressions..." he repeated and she sighed thoughtfully, what were her first impressions? 

"Well, when I first saw the school it was from a distance, I had to arrive on the train and the tracks pass it a long way off...at first I couldn't quite believe the size but when I drew nearer it seemed even bigger than when I had first thought, nevertheless, I thought it was beautiful," she confessed almost shyly, "Not like the schools in the slums, we don't have grass...we have to have our sports in halls or on gravel pitches and even then they aren't that great, but here...well, the grounds are lovely..." she paused as she took a few moments to reflect on the interior of the school, "Like the lounge," at last she continued, "Everything within the school is very impressive, beautiful...alluring,, it's a comfort in some places such as here, it seems almost homely..."

"And the people?" Sephiroth continued.

"I have yet to form a complete opinion regarding them..." she confessed and with that, she nibbled experimentally on the sandwich once more before biting down into it, savouring the rich taste as she took part in the daily ritual of feeding herself, but wait a minute...didn't he need this to eat?


	3. Tolerance and Intolerance

**Disclaimer: I do not and never will own any of the Squaresoft Characters, they are copyright to their respective owners.  However, Amelia and any other character to appear in this story are of my own creation and therefore should not be used (like the ever will be…) without my expressed permission.**

**Chapter Three – Tolerance and Intolerance**

"Don't you eat?" Amelia enquired at last as she observed the remaining sandwich, "Cause you know...I don't want to eat it all on you," she pointed out.  His eyebrow quirked in reply and slowly he shook his head, "Are you sure?" he nodded and she smiled thankfully as she took the last piece.  The silence of the lounge was broken however by the debate on the other side of the room, once a whisper, it had now broken into a loud argument of sorts...about...chauvinism?

"Excuse me! But maybe you could help us!" with long, well balanced strides a girl approached her.  Confused, Amelia could only wait for her to continue and paused politely to swallow the food in her mouth before the girl did continue, "My companion and I have noticed that you speak differently from us and I'm afraid we assumed you were from below the plate, now we aren't saying you have terrible grammar but you use such words as 'thanks' and 'cause' and we just figured --"

"You'd actually be correct," Amelia cut in, causing the girl to smile slightly, "And if I can help then I will," she added as the boy joined the girl.

"Excellent! Alright, we're having a debate on the state of this generation, I am positive that chauvinism is present within this generation and is ten times worse than it has been in previous years but my companion claims that it has become much less, we assumed that due to the fact that you lived down there and are now within our school that you would be able to offer us some insight regarding it," she explained and Amelia frowned thoughtfully.

"That's quite an interesting debate," she observed softly and took a few moments to consider her answer, "However, if I were to answer truthfully I would say that at present you are both right," a set of blank faces met her and numerous others glanced up with sudden interest, "I say that because when I entered this school today I became aware of the numerous looks of distaste that I received, I say numerous because not everyone looked at me in the same way...some were curious while others were indeed disgusted," she sighed and became rather subconscious though she saw no reason in preventing them from the explanation they deserved, "As my day progressed some became hostile because, mayhaps they disliked people who are different in some way, who have different opinions," she smiled meekly and considered her next sentence carefully, "However, the hostilities weren't so bad when they were alone, in fact...they seemed rather nice when they weren't in groups, or at least not round a 'ring leader'," she sighed and glanced up as the bell outside rang to summon the end of lunch.

"Ignore it..." Sephiroth ordered as he rummaged around in her bag, she gaped in surprise and quirked a brow as he observed her timetable, "You have a study period anyway... most likely they'll retreat to the games room," he pointed out and she blushed.

"I don't think, it's a case of the entire generation increasing or decreasing their tolerance towards upper and lower classes..." she shrugged slightly and smiled, "I think, to be precise it is the upbringing in which one receives, those with families that detest the 'lower' classes will detest them as much as their parents, if not more.  The theories I suppose seem simplistic, but if you research them deeper you find that up bringing is the cause for most causes of chauvinism, if you are brought up by parents that realize that in truth there is no difference apart from where we live, then you yourself will also realize and accept those in the slums for who we are..." 

"Could you...write that down?" the girl enquired slowly, a tone of awe in her voice, "I don't think I've ever really thought about it like that,"

"Have you ever been given the chance?"

"How do you mean?"

"Well have you ever had a chance to observe another way of living?" she questioned again as she walked to the window and glanced across at the slight gap in grassland...the end of a plate, down below was her home, "To see how we survive...our opinions, the life in which we live at the expense of your own?"

"Down below...do they tolerate us, or do they dislike us as apparently some people up here dislike you?" the girl continued, jotting down something on a notepad that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

"Like here...it varies," Amelia replied with a shrug, tensing as the lounge door slammed open and someone she didn't want to see barged inwards.

"There you are!" the girl howled from the doorway.  Her pudgy nose and watery eyes glaring towards the petite girl as if she was a red blanket...all Amelia needed was the bull, or did she already have that? "We've simply been looking all over for you!" she cried and tilted her head to one side, taking a few moments to glance at each of the now disturbed people within the lounge, Sephiroth in particular, in fact, her eyes became hazy...dreamy, she wanted him, or that was what Amelia assumed.

"Have you now?" Amelia replied at last and tilted her head to one side, causing her hair to just about cover the purple mark upon her cheek before the girl could see it and brag about it at a later date.

"Yes! Indeed we have! We wanted to give you back your --" 

"Bag?" Amelia cut in again, quirking a brow and folding her hands across her chest, the girl looked almost startled and an overwhelming change occurred within the petite girl's mind, if this girl liked Sephiroth she could use it against her, "Sephiroth helped me," she pointed out softly and shook her head, "Apparently he doesn't like chauvinism," she pointed out and the poor girl blinked.

"Chauvin-what?" she replied and Amelia quirked a brow.

"Chauvinism...intolerance..." Amelia explained slowly, "Beating up someone because they don't belong upon the plate because they are born below it?"

"I never said that!" the girl suddenly retaliated.

"Didn't you?" Amelia shook her head and turned to stare out the window again, seemingly ending the conversation.

"Do you...want to join us in the games room?" the girl enquired carefully.

"I prefer silence," Amelia retaliated without turning around, her lips pursed in a thin line as she realized the consequences of her actions, when she had no one who disliked intolerance to protect her she would pay for what she had said, and somehow a bruised cheek wouldn't be the only injury she would receive.

"Fine," the door was slammed shut and silence reigned for a very long time.  It was at last broken, when the girl with the notepad cleared her throat and walked towards the now silent Amelia.

"What's it like?" she asked at last, placing a hand upon the smaller girl's shoulder, "To live down there...but to have to watch the inequality up here?"

"Hard," Amelia replied in a simple voice and sighed, "Very, very hard," she finished at last and offered a hand to the girl, "Amelia,"

"Shiori," they both shook the other's hand firmly and Shiori narrowed her eyes, "How long does it take to get up here anyway?" she asked and glanced at the petite girl.  At last, Amelia turned to Shiori and observed her.  Blue eyes returned her own gaze and she noticed the deep sense of curiosity within them, a constant search for knowledge was what Shiori seemed to desire, those eyes, so full of inquisition rimmed only by thin rimmed, black spectacles.  Her complexion was pale, yet she looked almost perfect in attire, glossy, smooth, black hair tied back in a neat French braid while her pale complexion seemed to only highlight the delicate features in which she had.

"Two hours..." Amelia replied with a small shrug, "excluding the time it takes me to walk to the station," she added and made her way to her armchair again, Sephiroth was still frowning over her timetable and...She paused, was that his own timetable...?

"That's a long time..." Shiori mused softly as she took a seat beside her, her companion snatching the notepad away from her and beginning to copy it up rather quickly, "Sephiroth what in heaven's name are you doing?"  Well at least someone had the guts to ask him, even if Amelia didn't.

"Did you not see how Kate was staring at her earlier?" he replied softly and pursed his lips, "The replies in which Amelia gave were a direct 'dig' at her new found hospitalities, no doubt that Amelia will evidently 'pay' for her replies when we are not around..." 

"So...you're observing her timetable because?" Shiori continued and glanced briefly at Amelia who was rummaging through her bag.

"To check that I am as close as possible to her so as to keep an eye on her as she moves from class to class," he replied.

"What did you do with the real Sephiroth?!" Shiori enquired as she leaned in towards Sephiroth, he seemed not to move or react in regards to her movement though her companion seemed to grit his teeth in jealousy.

"As Head of the senior years I have a responsibility to protect the students, she is a student and therefore needs my protection," he explained in a simple voice, however both companion and Shiori exchanged glances.

"So what do your rooms look like?" she enquired and whistled at both timetables, "Now that...is the most useful timetable I have ever seen, you're in the opposite room from her the whole time!" she chirped causing Amelia to glance up.  Once again the lounge was disturbed however as 'Kate' slammed through the door again.

"Yes?" Sephiroth glanced up and pursed his lips, making no reference to her name as she glanced round the room quickly, she seemed to pause however and take note of the small group that he now sat in.

"Mr. Lucian wants to speak to Amelia now," she pointed out and in unison, Shiori, companion and Sephiroth raised a brow.

"Does he now?" Shiori glanced round and offered a wistful smile.

"Yes!" Kate snapped.

"Oh well then I suppose you best be going Amelia!" Shiori chimed in a sing song voice, patting the invisible dust from her lap and rising to her feet, "However I also need to speak with him so it seems like we shall have to go together, you do not mind do you?"

"Oh! Not at all!" Amelia replied merrily and glanced at her bag.

"Oh leave it! You'll be back!" she pointed out and marched towards the door, pushing passed Kate and the small group gathering behind her, Amelia was close behind and Kate was left within the doorway, cheeks developing a reddened glow at the scene that had just taken place.

"Tisk, tisk," the companion at last spoke up, glancing from the page he was writing on and round towards the girl, "Being publicly humiliated is worse than being privately humiliated isn't it?" he enquired and with a yelp the girl slammed the door.

"That...was not like you Sugizo," Sephiroth observed with a bemused glance.

"Yes but protecting a pretty girl isn't like you either Sephiroth," Sugizo replied with a small smirk, flicking away a piece of rubber remnant from his page and continuing to write, "What's so different about her anyway?"

Sephiroth tensed at the question and considered it carefully, only an hour at most had he known her and already he was beginning to form an opinion of her.  Each time he thought of what to say to her he stopped, often feeling suddenly self conscious about how she may react, what she might say.  It was as though, everything he had fought so hard not to care about was all rushing back to him when he was around just one young girl, one only a year or so younger than him and yet...

"I...I am not sure," he confessed, for once admitting his complete confusion to someone.  He was amazed to feel suddenly very relaxed regarding the situation and paused briefly to assess the sudden change that had taken place within his mind, these people, who he had kept at arms length suddenly seemed much more than just acquaintances...for they didn't even flinch when he confessed his uncertainty whereas the professor...Professor Hojo had always scolded him, called him a disappointment...

"Uh huh," Sugizo quirked a brow and sat back in his chair, pursing his lips thoughtfully before beginning to speak, however before his words could be voiced the lounge door opened again and Shiori whistled merrily as Amelia trailed after her, each with arms crammed full of what looked like boxes of food.

"I'm in love with Mr. Lucian!" Shiori roared as she dumped the boxes on the free chairs, "Ahahaha!" she cried and swayed from side to side as she waited for Amelia to set her own boxes down, "Mr. Lucian didn't want Amelia...just an excuse to try and get her outside but when we came round he said he was just coming to find us and wellll..." she smirked and motioned to the boxes, "Guess who just gave us all permission to parteh in the lounge!" there was a long pause, "You guys are so dense...call it a celebration of the introduction of our new found friend...ain't that right Amelia?" she asked, attempting to mimic some informal 'slum' speech which failed rather badly.

"Um...yes...?" Amelia offered slowly, so there really were people who could tolerate differences and others...like Kate who couldn't.


End file.
